The adventures of two sisters + food enthusiasts as they bake, cook, and eat anything, anywhere.

August 14, 2012August 14, 2012

Guest Post: Hungry Games: Dabbling in Vegan—The Inspiration

I’m a person who really enjoys a rich, complete experience. This means that I generally don’t approach anything half-heartedly, and I like to immerse myself in the culture of whatever it is I’m doing. So, a couple months ago, when I signed up for my first marathon (Marine Corps, October 28!), I really thought about what it means to be a marathoner, so that I could channel all things running. Obviously, in order to be a real runner, I would have to start reading Runner’s World magazine.

In the first issue I picked up, there was an article about Scott Jurek, a leading ultrarunner (the athletes who compete in Crazy Town distance races—like 100 miles.) I had recently read the book, Born to Run, about the sport of ultrarunning, so I was drawn towards the article. (I loved the book, especially the idea that compared to other mammals, humans were built not for speed but for incredible endurance. Since a marathon is pretty intimidating, it’s comforting to know that my body is designed to run far.)

The article about Jurek informed me of something I found fascinating—that the world’s leading ultrarunner is also a vegan! So, although I’m not ready to give up meat and dairy, the article has inspired me to incorporate some vegan experiences into my life.

I started with Scott Jurek’s Chocolate Adzuki Bars. The recipe was printed in the June 2012 issue of Runner’s World. At first, I did not really like these bars. They look deceptively like brownies, but they do NOT taste like brownies. However, once I was able to get my brain to remember that I was not, in fact, eating a brownie, I started to really enjoy my super healthy, energy boosting, fueling runner treat. They have quite a lovely red bean, banana flavor. My friend K-Hon thinks they’re amazing too. I eat them now with breakfast before a long run, or as an afternoon snack. Here’s the recipe, so you, too, can dabble in vegan:

½ teaspoon coconut oil (Coconut oil comes as a solid, usually in a jar.)

1 15-ounce can adzuki beans, drained (I found these at Whole Foods, but the can was labeled “aduki” beans.)

1 medium overripe banana (A banana that is just starting to brown is the best. If the banana is too overripe, the bars have a weird flavor.)

½ cup almond or rice milk

½ cup light coconut milk (I like the kind from Trader Joe’s better than the kind from Whole Foods.)

½ cup barley flour (I found this at Whole Foods.)

¼ cup rice flour (I also found this at Whole Foods.)

6 tablespoons cocoa powder

3 tablespoons maple syrup (Use real maple syrup, not the fake kind.)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup goji berries, currants, or raisins (I like raisins better than currants because they’re bigger, but both taste good. I’ve yet to experiment with goji berries because I haven’t seen them in the grocery store.)

Preheat oven to 400. Grease a 9-inch square pan with coconut oil. Blend beans and banana with almond and coconut milk until smooth and creamy. (Definitely use a blender or food processor. I used a hand-held mixer the first time I made these, and it doesn’t blend the beans enough.)